February 9, 2015

The House is expected to vote on the Senate bill to approve Keystone XL pipeline. The Energy Department will hold its annual technology convention and Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz will make two trips to Capitol Hill to discuss the budget. Full story

February 3, 2015

The Energy Department unveiled its 2016 request for $29.9 billion in spending. Here are some highlights:

• A 41 percent jump the energy efficiency and renewable energy program including big additions for vehicle technologies and geothermal programs. • Natural gas technologies would see a 76 percent boost to $44 million while the department is looking to pare down overall fossil energy research by 2 percent. • The department is requesting an 84 percent increase in spending for electricity delivery and energy reliability, doubling smart grid research increasing energy storage technology by 75 percent. • Funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy would jump 16 percent. • Nuclear reactor concepts would decrease 19 percent while fuel cycle research would increase 11 percent and fusion research would be down 10 percent.

The State Department set Monday as the deadline for department feedback on the Keystone XL presidential permit, though don’t expect to hear anything. “The Department of State is treating the agencies’ replies as part of an internal inter-agency process,” a State official told Geof Koss Friday. Full story

January 30, 2015

After dispatching a slew of amendments, the Senate Thursday passed a bill approving the Keystone Pipeline, falling shy of the support needed to override a threatened White House veto. CQ subscribers can read more on the prospects of a conference with the House. Full story

At least that’s what cartographers say. Maps can also provide compelling insight and as such are key messaging tools in political discourse, as demonstrated in the debate around Thursday’s Senate ozone hearing. Here we look at several maps, all of which are accurate but can be misleading without context.

There’s no shortage of energy events this week. The Senate is scheduled to continue Keystone XL pipeline votes Monday and the House is expected to consider legislation to expedite exports of liquefied natural gas. Full story

January 8, 2015

Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz said that problems with inland waterways and the strategic petroleum reserve are among the top infrastructure issues identified in the Quadrennial Energy Review. Full story

January 7, 2015

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff outlined the successes and roadblocks of state and regional demand response programs in a recent annual report. While demand response programs have made progress, there are potential snags and recent efforts to overcome them. Full story

January 6, 2015

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff outlined the successes and roadblocks of state and regional demand response programs in a recent report. In this first post we’ll focus on the success. Full story